Olive Garden Pasta E Fagioli - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
1 small onion, diced (1 cup)
1 large carrot, julienned (1 cup)
3 stalks celery, chopped (1 cup)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) can red kidney beans, with liquid
1 (15 ounce) can great northern beans, with liquid
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (12 ounce) can v-8 vegetable juice
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme
0.5 (1/2 lb) package ditali pasta

Preparation

Brown the ground beef in a large saucepan or pot over medium heat. Drain off most of the fat.
Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic and saute for 10 minutes.
Add remaining ingredients, except pasta, and simmer for 1 hour.
About 50 minutes into simmer time, cook the pasta in 1 1/2 to 2 quarts of boiling water, over high heat. Cook for 10 minutes or just until pasta is al dente, or slightly tough. Drain.
Add the pasta to the large pot of soup. Simmer for 5-10 minutes and serve.